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Entries with the tag: craig conroy

added 2:37pm, Conroy named special assistant to the acting general manager.

added 2:46pm, Conference has ended.

added 2:58pm,

Calgary, AB – Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames Hockey Club announced today the retirement of Conroy from the National Hockey League following a 17 year playing career and his subsequent appointment as Special Assistant to the Acting General Manager.

Craig Conroy’s distinguished 1,009-game NHL career almost certainly came to an end Wednesday morning when the Calgary Flames’ centre cleared waivers and was given a choice between two comparatively unappetizing options: Either report to the team’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford to work with the organization’s young players for the duration of his one-year, $500,000 contract; or retire. The team gave Conroy the all-star break to ponder his options and expects an answer early next week.

There was Conroy, on the ice at the old Montreal Forum, attending his first training camp with the Canadiens, and performing a rudimentary shooting drill. Fuelled in equal parts by his trademark qualities – excitement and enthusiasm – Conroy launched a rising slap shot at net – and accidentally plunked goaltender Patrick Roy smack in the face.

Roy was the Habs franchise back in 1994-95, as temperamental as ever, and didn’t like a raw rookie using his noggin for target practice, even inadvertently.

“He stormed out and punched me in the head,” the now Calgary Flames centre recalled. “I mean, both teams came after me. There was a big melee at centre ice; everybody was yelling at me; and I’m trying to apologize the whole time. I’m thinking: ‘This is crazy, this is not the way I want to start my career.’ ”

Perhaps not. But from that inauspicious beginning, the sixth-round pick in the 1990 draft forged an unexpectedly successful career in which he will play his 1,000th NHL game Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.

Fifty-four days past his 39th birthday, Conroy will become the fourth-oldest player in NHL history to reach that milestone.

Calgary, AB - Calgary Flames Executive Vice President & General Manager Darryl Sutter announced today the signing of centre Craig Conroy to a one year contract.

Conroy, a native of Potsdam, NY, and a veteran of 991 NHL games, will be entering his 15th NHL campaign with the commencement of the 2010-11 NHL season. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated 180 goals and 360 assists for 540 points.

The former Flames captain, will continue his second tour of duty with Calgary after spending four seasons with the Flames (2000-2004) which was highlighted by winning the Western Conference crown in 2004 where he finished second in team playoff scoring with 17 points. After signing as free agent with Los Angeles in 2004, he was reacquired by the Flames in 2007 in exchange for Jamie Lundmark and future considerations.

“We’re trying to pull each other together here right now and turn this thing around and make this a team that becomes closer. Sometimes when you have all this negative stuff, it does pull you closer, and it makes you more positive. Instead of giving a guy grief if he makes a mistake, pick him up, help him out. You don’t want to beat a dead horse.

“We’ve had some practise, had a few arguments, and now we’ve turned that around and we’re looking to go in the right direction.”

-Craig Conroy of the Calgary Flames via Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary Sun.

Q: Hockey is a multi-million dollar business, so it’s a big deal, but it’s not life and death. It’s a game. So why don’t more guys like Tim Thomas, like yourself, like Jeremy Roenick have fun with (their media dealings)?

A: “Yeah, I laugh because I don’t know why. I remember Prongs (former Blues defenceman Chris Pronger) was always hard on reporters. I remember thinking, ‘Who do you think picks these awards, Prongs? Why would you be mean?’ They’re just doing their jobs. Actually, the year he won the Hart and the Norris, he was good with (the media). He opened up a little bit. Then he went to Edmonton and who knows what happened there?

“Over the course of the years, I got to watch Brett Hull and I think he said a lot of things just to get a rise out of people. To make the game interesting. To make the game fun. Hullie was. He’d say some things and I’d just be sitting in that stall listening to him and I’d think, ‘Wow!’ It was interesting, it was his perspective. People don’t want to hear the same cliches. That’s what makes J.R. (so interesting). When he gets in front of that microphone, I don’t know what he’s going to say. It’s like, ‘Here we go.’ That’s why people love guys like him and Hullie.

On his first day on the ice as a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens, a high shot in warmup brought about a confrontation with the Hall-of-Fame goaltender…

“It was actually my very first day on the ice. Patrick was on my team for the scrimmage,” said Conroy, who was a little excited in warmup and watched his first shot at Roy get away from him.

“It kept rising and hit him in the head. He kind of stopped everything, cleared off his crease, then he came out and actually punched me in the head with his blocker.

“I thought, ‘What do I do?’ He’s Patrick Roy. I’m just nobody. I didn’t throw any punches or anything. I just kind of took it and they broke it up. I was sent down (to the AHL Fredericton Canadiens) pretty soon after that.”

So, as one of the poster boys for media relations, what, pray tell, is his philosophy?

“You guys are doing a job,” says the 37-year-old.

“Sometimes you write bad things about me, sometimes good things, but that’s what it is. It’s your job. And I know when I play bad. I’ve never had a problem with the media. I don’t take anything personally. I don’t feel that anyone’s out to get me.

“I just come in and I try to tell the truth, whether I’m in favour of something or not. As long as everything’s fair, then I’m comfortable with it.”

I was going to prepare a tribute on this day in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy, but IwoCPO could not have said it any better.

This from Craig Conroy at the Calgary Herald,

“I was actually sitting in my basement watching the whole thing unfold,” he recalled. “I remember thinking how is there a fire in the World Trade Center? It doesn’t make any sense. Then the second plane hit. Then you realize it’s an attack on the U.S. and on New York City. It was unbelievable to see those buildings fall, that you wouldn’t ever think would come down because they sort of symbolize New York.”

“There’s bad things and we have to get through it,” he said. “There is another day. Terrible things happen and you try to move forward and do your best. It’s not that you ever forget and you never want anything like that to happen again, but you definitely you’ve got to move on.”

You will see the clips of that horrible moment seven years ago today, but never forget those who lost their lives on that day and the families they left behind! And regardless of your politics, always be grateful for those that have fought and are fighting for our freedom. May they reach a point where the fighting is not needed and there’s peace on earth.

Craig Conroy has a theory, and it’s likely to make Flames fans giddy with anticipation.

“We’re not in the offensive mode like we were with Juice (Kristian Huselius) and Tangs (Alex Tanguay), but we’re kind of like getting back to the team of ‘04 with grit,” said the veteran Flames centre.

“We’ll make it really uncomfortable to play against. Do you really want those guys like (Todd) Bertuzzi and Iggy coming at you and those young guys flying at you, too? I’m starting to see a lot more similarities.”